Make It Last: Of Trust and Friendship
by AshleighAishwarya
Summary: The Duran Keep never believed in the Forerunners and disliked the formation of the Covenant. However, their defiance was going to come around and hit them hard somehow. Now a member of the Covenant, Katerina is working hard to keep her remaining family alive. Little did she know, she would find an unlikely friend in a certain Spartan.
1. Failure

**A/N: Hi, everyone! Ashleigh here and I finally get to dive into this story I've been waiting to do! **

**So, as wild as my imagination is, I saw the Halo Legends short, "The Duel" and thus this happened. Months of planning and I'm ready to finally write this. Warning for the Chief being a little OOC at times! **

**This story is from Katerina's POV, with the (almost) entire walkthrough of Halo 2 and 3. I hope you guys find her story interesting as she replaces Thel Vadam in this story!  
**

**So sit back and enjoy the (short) first chapter! :)**

_**Genre: Friendship/Romance/Angst/Action/Family**_

* * *

**Halo ****–**** Katerina Duran - "Make It Last: Of Trust and Friendship"**

* * *

**Location: Council Chamber, High Charity  
October 20****th****, 2552**

"You were right to focus your attention on the Flood, but this _demon_, this 'Master Chief'…"

"By the time I knew of the demon's intent, there was nothing I could do."

The sound of displeasure from the Council could almost deafen Katerina Duran. Even so, she could hear the thumping of her own heart. The Elite stood before the three High Prophets, her head low and her fists clutched tightly, trying her hardest to draw out the noises. How she wished she could just fade away right now.

To her right, not very far, stood the Brute Chieftain Tartarus, with his massive arms across his chest. He chuckled audibly to himself, to make sure Katerina could hear it. She narrowed her cat-like violet eyes at him. _Watch it…_

"You are one of our most treasured instruments," She glanced up at that voice. The Prophet of Truth. Oh, how she often fantasized about shutting that mouth up permanently. She would have to live long enough to do it. "Long have you led your fleet with honor and distinction. But your inability to safeguard Halo..."

_Here it comes…_

"… Was a colossal failure."

"Noble Hierarch, I-"

Then she heard a new voice, one that came from an unknown direction. "Nay! It was _heresy_!"

And the next thing she knew, a chorus of upset roars filled the Council Chamber. This was bad. Really, really bad. Katerina knew that and she was shaking. If the entire Council thinks that her failure should be deemed as heresy, then this was going to be the end.

One last attempt. "Noble Hierarch, what I did was unforgivable, yes, I admit to that. I failed to stop the demon! I failed to execute him! But please, I beg of you, let me continue my campaign against the humans!"

"No," She fell silent at Truth's bellow. "You will not…"

Katerina witnessed him turning his head toward Tartarus and nodding at the beast. With a single growl from him, two Brutes made their way to her. She shrugged them off with a killer look. "_Do not touch me_." She said in a hiss, turning her back on the Prophets, knowing for sure that this was the end.

"Soon the Great Journey shall begin," As she made her way out with those Brutes following her, she shut her eyes in great annoyance, hoping to drown out the voice of the High Prophet. However his words were so… piercing. "But when it does, the weight of your heresy will stay your feet," He made sure to pause just a little, and then finish off with one last statement in a voice grimmer than usual. "And you shall be left behind..."

She looked up and opened her eyes once more, but only to see where she was going. Without even glancing around, she could _feel _the satisfactory from most of the Council members. It felt sickening.

As she reached the main doors of the Council Chambers, she spotted the one Elite she was hoping to see before heading to her fate.

"Dar…" She said in a whisper.

Darius had the most dismayed expression known to anyone. Katerina could sense that her son wanted to stop all of this. Perhaps even grab his mother's hand and run off, judging by this stand. _Was it worth it, mother?_

She easily sensed that question, but she was still thinking about the answer, even as she exited the chamber.


	2. Branded

**Halo ****–**** Katerina Duran - "Make It Last: Of Trust and Friendship"**

* * *

"_I refuse to give in to their demands, Micah! I will not have this Clan bow down to those blind fools. We will continue staying the way we are, the way that keeps us happy."_

"_Am I to assume you are coming with me when I have to meet with the Prophets once more, Katerina?" _

"_You are most certainly correct, darling. It's time to put an end to this. I do not wish for our Keep to be disturbed any longer." _

Katerina Duran had her mind wrapped around a little memory while she continued to be escorted from the Council Chamber and to her unknown fate. With Tartarus still leading her, she felt even more uneasy. As if the words slipped out of her mouth, she asked, "What is going to happen to me?"

The Brute continued to walk, but he turned his head enough for her to view a sick smile on his face. "What happens to any traitor, little Kate."

He need not have to explain. She knew what it was, and it caused her stomach to almost drop. "I will _die _from the pain."

"Are you sure, little Kate?" Tartarus simply loved to add in the word 'little' in front to make her feel inferior. And so many times she had wanted to smack him for even calling her 'Kate' – a nickname only her husband would use, and she would _only _prefer her husband to use. "Taking into consideration how many times you have evaded death-"

"Tartarus, you know as well as I do that _this_ is inevitable. I just wish you would not draw your pleasures from my misfortunes…"

"You chose your own fate, Katerina. You always have. How can I help it if I find it amusing?"

Katerina could easily pick up the delight in his tone. She was blazing at this moment, but somehow managed to keep her cool. "If someway, somehow I _were _to survive this, then this is not over between you and I. We will engage in battle and only one of us will stand victorious."

Tartarus stopped in his tracks to, assumingly, open the door in front of them. Instead, he turned his full body to her and said one last statement. "See if you can stand tall after been branded first, little Kate."

* * *

**Location: Mausoleum of the Arbiter, High Charity  
October 20****th****, 2552**

…_nd tall. Stand tall. Stand tall. Stand tall. Stan-_

Consciousness hit the female Elite hard and she only found herself repeating those words into her head before… before that block of burning wood pierced her fragile skin at her upper left chest. The pain kicked in and she felt it. However, she could not reach for the scar as she was currently being carried away.

Blinking away the blurriness, she found herself over the shoulder of a regular Brute. She did not even have to take a sniff to smell Tartarus' presence as well. Great.

She wanted to speak but at that moment, she could not find her voice. Instead, she felt tears coming to her. The pain on her chest was driving her mad and all she remembered was the sound of her own cries before blacking out. As of now, all she could do was stare at the ground until it was her stop.

They headed down a small ramp and Katerina tried to make sense of the environment around her when they stopped. _Caskets… and a lot of them… _

"Noble Prophets of Truth and Mercy, I have brought the incompetent."

"You may leave, Tartarus. And take your Brutes with you."

She could not see the confused look on her foe's face. Instead, she was plopped onto the ground, her back connecting with the chilled floor. Letting go of a few coughs, she felt like she could finally breathe after everything that had transpired.

"Turn, Katerina."

Oh yeah. The Prophets. She had almost forgotten. Gathering the upper body strength was going to be challenging for that moment, but the last thing she wanted was to appear weak in front of the Prophets.

She sat up and turned around the best she could to face them, but she remained on the ground. Her trembling fingers ran over the Mark of Shame on her chest in a hesitate manner. She could not believe that it was _actually _embedded onto her skin.

"The Council has come to a conclusion, Katerina – you are to be hung by your entrails and your corpse paraded through the city," Truth casually related to her, making her cringe. "But ultimately, the terms of your execution are up to me…"

"Huh," A single short chuckle came to her. "It does not matter to me, Noble Hierarch. I was marked for death a long, _long _time ago." She said, barely able to lift her head up.

Truth had a rather unreadable expression, but Katerina could tell that he agreed with her on that sentence. "Indeed, Katerina. A very long time ago…" He let a few seconds past before asking, "Do you know where we are?"

"The Mausoleum of the Arbiter." She answered without hesitation, though she as still puzzled as to why she was even here. Even more so, why was she still alive?

Truth nodded at her. "Quite so, Katerina. Here rests the vanguard of the Great Journey. Every Arbiter, from first to last," He glanced around at the caskets. "Each one created and consumed in times of extraordinary crisis."

She then heard the Prophet of Mercy's voice cut in so she turned her head to him. "The Taming of the Hunters… the Grunt Rebellion - were it not for the Arbiters, the Covenant would have broken long ago!" He said with a fist to the arm of his hovering throne.

"Yes, I have heard many stories of these Arbiters and the things they have done to earn them at least an honorable death, Holy One," Katerina said. "But I do not understand – what does this have to do with me? I have destroyed our Sacred Ring. Why am I not put to death yet?"

Truth narrowed his eyes at her and she caught the faintest of smiles on his face. "While Halo's destruction was indeed, your error, Katerina, we know you are no heretic. You have given us yours and your Keep's loyalty to the Covenant," He then leaned against his hovering throne. "What I want you to see is the _true _face of heresy," He swiftly tapped a button of some sort on the arm of his chair and miniature hologram of an Elite in rather abnormal armor appeared. "One who would subvert our faith and incite rebellion against the High Council."

_Oh my…. Sesa... _She thought to herself.

She silently braced herself before the hologram would speak._"Our Prophets are false! Open your eyes, my brothers! They would use the faith of our forefathers to bring ruin to us all! The Great Journey is a-" _

However, before she could hear more, Truth quickly ended it. _You did what I had no confidence to do, Sesa… _

Truth now had a slight angered look on his face. "This heretic, Katerina, and those who follow him, must be silenced. And you will ensure that happens."

"Their slander offends all who walk the Path!"

She was not even paying the slightest of attention to Mercy. "But… how will I, Noble Hierarch?" She questioned. "I have been stripped of my rank as Supreme Commander. I am no longer a leader…"

"Not as you are, Katerina., but as the Arbiter."

A large pod that, for some reason, Katerina did not notice in the first place, floated from the Prophets' side and towards the female Elite. The silver doors opened with a chill 'hiss' to reveal a suit of gray and ancient armor.

"And you shall be set loose against this heresy with our blessing." Truth then added.

The did not make sense. If the Council wanted her dead then… "But… but the Council, Holy One…"

Mercy decided to step in this time. "The tasks you undertake as the Arbiter are perilous. Suicidal, even. You will _die_, Katerina, as each Arbiter in this chamber has before you. And the Council will have their corpse."

So it appears that she was not going to die immediately but instead, she would have to anticipate it. Somehow, it felt no different to her. Even since _joining _the Covenant, the countdown for her own death had begun.

However, if there as one thing Katerina Duran had learnt about herself over these past 30 years in service, was that she was hard to kill.

So if the Council wanted her corpse, they were going to have to wait for quite a while.


	3. Healing

**Halo ****–**** Katerina Duran - "Make It Last: Of Trust and Friendship"**

* * *

**Location: Medical Chamber, High Charity  
October 20****th****, 2552**

Katerina Duran stared into the tall mirror in front of her as she treated the Mark of Shame on her upper left chest. The darn thing was burning her smooth navy-blue skin and before she could even think of putting on the body suit and Arbiter armor, she just _had _to treat the burn scar first.

Once that was done, she let go of a much needed sigh, but she soon felt another sob coming to her. She would have never thought that it would come to this. She taught she had been careful and discreet.

But assisting the Spartan she encountered in blowing up Halo was… something that could _not _be overlooked.

Katerina slowly but painful attached the black body suit to her body, careful not to agitate her wound. She stopped to rest a little more and to also curse herself and her current fate. Well… at least Darius was okay. At least he did not receive any punishment for her decision.

There was a gentle knock on the door of the medical chamber. "Leave me be!" She said in a loud tone, enough to act as a threat.

"I am afraid I cannot do that, mother. I am your son and I care about you very much."

Her teary violet cat-like eyes lit up at that. She almost stumbled out of her seat to open the door, and there stood her eldest son, Darius.

She let him enter and without any words, she found herself in a much needed hug. "Are you alright?" He asked in a soft tone.

Katerina nodded. "I am now," She said, pulling back. "At least nothing happened to you, Dar. That was my main concern."

"Are you _sure_ you are well?"

She hung her head low. No use hiding anything from her firstborn. "I never expected _this_, Dar. I am to live with this scar for the rest of my life. I so desperately wanted to disappear at that moment." She lowered herself onto the chair.

"The last thing you need to is an execution, mother. Come on. You are still here. We can still finish this," Darius said. "Our mission is to eliminate the Heretic Leader. This just might be the turning point we need."

Katerina glanced up at him. "Dar, it is not that simple. Perhaps we should have gone with him the moment Sesa renounced his faith in the Great Journey, but remember that our Keep was at stake. If we had left, Truth would send ships to our Keep and destroy whatever's left. And you know that the rest of your siblings are down there. We cannot risk it."

"30 years is more than enough pain, mother. I know you're out of endurance to handle it all," He said, reading right through her like glass. He walked up to her and knelt before her, taking one hand. "If we can just get a moment alone with Sesa, we can take the war to High Charity."

She smiled sweetly at him, running one hand past his jaw. "Your heart is in the right place, my boy, but you forget: Sesa has but a small army at his disposal. Even with our determination, we _cannot _face everything High Charity has to offer."

She then saw the disappointment in his apple-green eyes. Darius realized that his mother had a point. "If only the Prophets knew of what the Monitor had told me – about Halo's true purpose. I only wish we could inform them. They will _never _hear us out."

"True, darling. In their eyes, we are Heretics, here serving our punishment… all for my defiance…"

"No," Darius told her firmly, squeezing her hands. "Do not do this to yourself, mother. You _know _none of this is your fault."

"It will feel like that as long as Truth is alive."

* * *

**A/N: A short chaper to make way for one of my favorite levels in Halo 2 "The Arbiter"! :)  
**  
**PastLogan - Yes, you're right! But she does not have Thel's background, as you can tell :)**


	4. The Arbiter

**Halo ****–**** Katerina Duran - "Make It Last: Of Trust and Friendship"**

* * *

**Location: Gas Mine, Threshold  
October 20****th****, 2552**

"When we joined the Covenant, we took an oath!"

_"According to our station! All without exception!" _

"On the blood of our fathers, on the blood of our sons...we swore to uphold the Covenant!"

_"Even to our dying breath!" _

With much disgust, Katerina Duran watched as her son stood amongst the Elites in his position as a Special Operations Sangheili, reciting the oath. He used to be under her command. Now that she was stripped of her rank, he was now under Rtas 'Vadumee. She knew Rtas for a long time. A true Sangheili in his own right, but a strong believer in the Great Journey and the Forerunners. Yet, if Katerina wanted Darius to be safe, he would be safe under Rtas' command.

"Those who would break this oath are Heretics, worthy of neither pity, nor mercy! Even now they use our lords' creations to broadcast their lies!"

_"We shall grind them into dust!" _

"And continue our march to glorious salvation!"

The Phantom she was in trembled as their destination was approaching. Katerina turned to her side to glance out of the window. An intense storm was swirling below the Forerunner structure known as Gas Mine, where the Heretic Leader, Sesa Refumee, was supposedly located.

She can still remember the day Sesa renounced his faith and requested for Katerina and Darius to come with him and his Heretics, since he knew of her beliefs. However, she could not leave High Charity without damaging the Duran Keep's safety. That was the last thing she wanted.

"This armor suits you, Katerina," Rtas interrupted her thoughts and she turned her head to him. "But it cannot hide that mark."

Female Sangheili had very different facial features from the males. The females had a very humanoid appearance - perfectly chiseled cheeks, eyes slightly wider apart than typical and a flat nose. This was in contrast to the males, where all they had were two sets of mandibles attached to the face.

So if she wanted to produce a faked smile, it would _look _like a smile. "I am afraid nothing ever will, Rtas."

He let a few silent seconds go by to show his compassion for her. "You are now the Arbiter, Katerina. The will of the Prophets," He turned his head briefly behind him, to his party. "However these are _my_ Elites. Their lives matter to me. Yours does not."

As if she was expecting that, she shot back with, "That makes two of us then, Rtas."

He could only reply with a highly respectful, "Hmmm..."

The Phantoms dropped the units off and resumed their flight. Katerina shielded her eyes at the storm that was brewing. This storm was surely going to swallow this facility.

"Onward!" She heard her son order. As a Special Operations Sangheili, he was the one in charge on the battlefield. The unit made their way down a nearby ramp and to a locked airlock. They waited patiently until an Elite decrypted it.

"The storm has masked our approach, and it should have their local battle-net in disarray. We have the element of surprise... for now." She heard Rtas' voice over the channel. So perhaps the storm was at their advantage for now.

The airlock opened with a hiss and the Elites and Grunts piled in. The door shut behind them and they were faced with yet, another airlock, that lead to the interior of the facility.

"Engage Active camouflage!" Darius said. "You are to reveal yourselves only after the Arbiter has joined battle with the enemy!"

She gave him a little smile at that, in hopes to make him feel a little better about the whole situation. Her attempts were in vain; Darius was too upset about his mother's fate.

"You may wish to do the same, Arbiter," Rtas opened a private channel to the female Elite. "But take heed: your armor's system is not as...advanced as ours. Your camouflage will not last forever."

_Simply perfect! How am I to effectively stealth like this? _

All her comrades activated their camouflage and blended in. The smart thing would be to assess the situation before she could even think about doing anything. She stuck close to the wall, anticipating for the airlock to open.

Once it did, her comrades entered with the quietest of steps. Darius waited until his unit went in first. It was so he could stand right at the doorway and see all without being seen himself.

Darius gave his mother a nod.

_Either no Heretics, or they have their backs turned. _

Taking a breath, she peered past the doorway, tiptoed over to a nearby short square-ish pillar and stuck close to it. She glanced up: a walkway, with two ramps attached to each side. On her level, there was two Heretic Elites directly in front of her with their backs turned, as well as four sleeping Grunts.

"Any word on our missing brothers?"

"Still nothing. Given what we have learned, I fear they are lost."

"Maybe the Oracle will protect us..."

"Perhaps. But his Sentinels are too few. Better we protect ourselves!"

With her back still glued to the pillar, she turned her head away in shock. _The Monitor is here? It can't be!_

No time. She needed to get rid of these Elites and Grunts before anybody would appear at the walkway. Inhaling deeply, she triggered her Active Camo and unleashed her Wrist Blades attached to the top of both her wrists.

The Wrist Blades were perfect for not only stealth, but also in close-quarter situations. Though Katerina was a fan of using stealth, it did not mean that she was not dangerous up close. She just preferred not leaving a big mess around, that's all.

With a swift push and a faint apology on her lips, she stabbed the two Elites in the back of their necks, which resulted in voiceless cries. The sleeping Grunts did not hear a damn thing.

She pulled out the blades and it sent an uneasy chill down her spine. Every fiber of her hated what she was made to do at this moment. She really hoped that she could get a moment alone with Sesa and sort things out.

She thought about this as she drove her Wrist Blades into the four Grunts one by one and up the walkway.

Darius' unit was meant to stay there, near the airlock and there has no choice. The Arbiter was meant to _die _so having Katerina to do all the work was unfortunate. If she could just keep up her stealth tactic, she would not have to worry about getting shot at.

However, just by peering over the walkway, she realized that that was going to be a bit of a problem.

At least a dozen Heretic Elites and Grunts were stationed, patrolling their area. Even the Grunts were wide awake. There was no way to sneak and attack without raising an alarm.

Katerina turned her head back to her son and shook it. _Too many of them. _

Darius acknowledged that with a little nod.

Katerina returned her gaze forward and pulled out two Plasma Rifles from their holsters attached to the side of her thighs. It was time for Darius and his unit to join in.

She lifted the rifles up high, aimed, and fired.

* * *

**A/N: Apologizes if it's been a while. School's been unkind D: In a month, my National Exams will end and I can give my full attention to this fic :) **

**And as you can tell, the appearance I gave the female Elites in this story is similar to the one in the Halo Legends short, "The Duel". I honestly thought that that appearance was perfect for the females so I decided to keep it that way in here, even though in the novels, the females are similar to the males :) **


	5. Fear

**Halo ****–**** Katerina Duran - "Make It Last: Of Trust and Friendship"**

* * *

**Location: Gas Mine, Threshold  
October 20****th****, 2552**

Banshees. Katerina Duran did not like them very much. First of all, she had trouble mastering it. Second of all, she would become dizzy after each flight.

So it certainly did not help that she needed to destabilize the Heretics' air forces. It was so that Rtas Vadumee's Phantom, carrying the unit she had been with all this time, could land on a different part of the facility, where the Heretic Leader was supposedly at after tracking him all this time.

Katerina managed to (ungracefully) land her trampled Banshee on the landing zone after clearing it of all Heretics. She pulled herself out of the wrecked air vehicle and leaned against a pillar. "Ooooh, my poor head… I am seeing stars!" She whimpered, unable to shake the dizziness off. Thankfully, Rtas and his party ad not landed yet to see her in this state.

Once her head stopped spinning, she glanced around – there lied an airlock which led to the interior. Yet, she was also surrounded by the bodies of Heretic Grunts and Elites. A wave of guilt watched over her at the sight.

"I am so sorry. I hope all of you know I ever meant for any of this to happen. I am simply not strong enough to rebel like you all. I do not have the strength anymore…"

The next thing she knew, a vigorous gust of wind stuck her Banshee and sent it to the direction of the storm below her. She could only widen her bright violet cat-like eyes at that. It happened in a blink of an eye; she would have missed it if she was not looking at it. "Quite honestly, considering everything that has transpired so far, I would rather be that Banshee…"

She patiently waited for the Phantom to drop off its Grunts and Elites. The minute Darius Duran was dropped off and his mother stood there in front of him, he hurried over to hug her tightly, almost lifting her off the ground.

"Thank goodness you are safe!" Darius said in delight. "I know how much you dislike flying a Banshee."

Katerina managed to let go of a few giggles. "Well I made it, darling," She then pulled back to look at him. "Now we can continue on."

* * *

Two Special Ops Elites, one of them being Darius, quickly cover the entrance as soon as the airlock opened up. Special Ops Grunts file in, followed by the two Elites, and then it was Rtas and Katerina's turn.

Katerina almost bumped into Rtas when he abruptly stopped in his tracks to sniff the air. "Rtas? What is it?" She questioned.

"That stench," He said in a grim tone. "I have smelt it before…"

_Stench? _ She herself decided to take a small whiff… and she almost gagged. There was only one thing that could give off a smell _that _bad. And she had never wanted to run into it ever again.

_Oh no. No, no, no, no, no, no…_ She immediately felt her heart drop to her stomach. Perhaps even lower. She thought the nightmare ended onboard the Pillar of Autumn. Looks like it managed to follow her all the way here.

The unit proceeded to a small room, where a large tank containing some tiny, fleshy lifeforms greeted them. One of the Grunts made a disgusted sound upon viewing it. They exit the area via the next doorway, and that lead them another small room, but this one had a unique feature: the floor was transparent. Through it, they could see the shadows of two forces battling. The familial sound of the screeches and gargled moans made it obvious as to who one of the two was.

Just hearing the sounds made Katerina shudder.

The doorway led them what appeared to be a laboratory this time. The floor was strewn with deformed corpses.

"What happened here?" The other Special Operations Elite questioned aloud.

Katerina and Darius could only exchange glances of revulsion with each other.

"Me have bad feeling about this..." One of the two Spec Ops Grunts murmured.

"You always have bad feeling! You had bad feeling about this morning food nipple!" The other one replied.

If the situation was not so perilous and nauseating to Katerina, she could have at least cracked a smile. Grunts always made her laugh.

"See! Heretic Leader!"

"What?!" Katerina spun around, her hands on the Plasma Rifles that were in the holsters attached to the side of her thighs.

Sesa Refumee!

The Grunt fired at him, as he levitated a few feet above the ground. However, the bolts went right _through _him.

"Hold your fire!" Rtas said sternly. "It is a holodrone."

'Sesa' turned his attention to Katerina, who had already made her way to him. "Katerina Duran. Of all the ones the Prophets sent to silence me. An Arbiter too, nonetheless. Never would you ever be in that position if you had come with us, Katerina."

"I-" No. Now was the wrong time to discuss this. "You… are… a Heretic, Sesa, and you must be silenced…" Her voice itself made it so clear how she forced herself to say it.

"A holodrone means that he is close," Rtas pointed his Energy Sword at the hologram. "Come out, so we may kill you!"

Sesa let go of a few evil laughs at that. "Get in line."

The hologram then brusquely vanished, leaving nothing but the empty holodrone and a disappointed Katerina.

Just then, she caught something in the corner of her eye - familiar spherical creatures… Flood Infection Forms!

"Leader!"

"Stand firm! The Flood is upon us!"

Katerina pulled out her two Plasma Rifles immediately and held her breath. _No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, n-_

"Destroy the bodies!" She heard Rtas yell in the midst of all the plasma bolts flying and the Energy Swords swishing. "Do _not _let the Infection Forms reanimate them!"

_Easier said than done! _Katerina made sure her hits were precise, not wanting to waste any bolts on the Infection Forms, but those things were fast!

Soon, she found the assault subsiding and it allowed her to breathe a little. However, it did not stop her heart from beating like a drum. The fear… it was going to take over her.

"Katerina," She heard Rtas' call and found him at the now opened doorway. "Proceed forward. We will follow once the reinforcements arrive."

Now her heart was going to stop beating entirely. _You want me to go? Alone? Have you lost your-_

However, she had no choice. It was an order she had to carry out. "Yes, Commander."

She jogged past the doorway and into a… really large elevator. It would most likely take her to the lower levels of this… laboratory? Perhaps that was what this was. This elevator had a short spiral stairway right in the middle.

She walked over and waited for the airlock door to close so that she could proceed deeper into the laboratory. The Elite at the doorway was none other than her son.

"Stay safe, mother. Watch your back." Darius told her, not liking this one bit.

"And you, my boy." She said with little to no confidence in herself.

The airlock shut to a close.

Katerina was alone again, but not for long, once she heard the shrieks of Flood Combat Forms piercing the air.


	6. Juggernaut

**Halo ****–**** Katerina Duran - "Make It Last: Of Trust and Friendship"**

* * *

**Location: Laboratory, Gas Mine, Threshold  
October 20****th****, 2552**

Katerina Duran made sure her clutch on her one Plasma Rifle was tight. Waiting in mind-wrecking suspense for her those Flood Combat Forms to pop up, she was taking in deep breaths. Even the elevator had started to descend, but at the speed of a snail and producing such eerie sounds as it did. One would think that that would draw the attention of the Flood easily.

They sure were taking their sweet time to attack the lonely Katerina.

"I am not afraid. I am not afraid. I beat them once before, I can do it again. I am not afraid. I am not-"

Then, a single shriek shattered the air.

"Alright, I AM AFRAID!" She lowered her head in an instant, covering it with the rifle. "I AM VERY AFRAID!"

But nothing happened.

She attempted to catch her breath. "Alright, this is getting annoying! Where are you, you dreadful abominations?!"

She crooked her head left, right, up and down, waiting for the attack.

Then her sharp ears picked up the shriek once again – this time, from above.

And sure enough, a Flood Combat Form came crashing down from above, almost scaring the life out of Katerina. "OH GOODNESS!"

The Elite Combat Form squawked at her and charged towards her with its claw stretched out to her. Katerina hurried and fired a few bolts at it, slowing it down but not enough to kill it.

She swung her foot at it, causing it to stagger, and made sure that her next plasma blots would strike at the center of its chest. It fell instantly.

Katerina took the time to catch her breath, but she knew it was not over. More will sure to come.

So she put her Plasma Rifle back on its holster and instead, wielded two Energy Swords. And then she waited.

* * *

**Location: Lower Laboratories **

A dozen Elite Combat Forms and a few Sentinels later, the elevator came to a stop. Katerina was now that the lower parts of this vast laboratory, with one of her Energy Swords out of battery. She was going to make do with one other sword and her Plasma Rifle, which she would have to discard soon. Well, no worries. These Combat Forms could wield weapons. She would simply have to pick up a fallen one.

Getting off the elevator of doom, she found herself strolling down a hallway, passing by a great number of Heretic Grunt and Elite corpses, as well as Flood-infected ones. There were a few weapons lying around, so she quickly picked up a Needler and wielded in her right hand, with her Plasma Rifle in her left, and her lone Energy Sword attached to the side of her hip.

Taking a left turn, she was greeted with a series of large windows and the familiar noises of a battle transpiring. Specifically, the Heretics and the Flood.

Sure enough, she peeped through a window and found them going at it. As usual, the Flood was ruthless, the Elites stood their ground fearlessly and the Grunts ran up and down in sheer fear.

Katerina backed away from the window. "Perhaps I should let them… sort out their differences…"

No sooner had she said that, the window she had ben gazing out of shattered to a million pieces, giving her a great scare.

She then realized that all was silent in the lower laboratories. Glancing through the busted window, she found that the Elite Combat Forms were victorious. Not wanting to waste time, standing at the ledge itself she fired plasma bolts and needles at the nearest enemies first, before making the jump to their level.

It was only then it dawned upon her that there were about half a dozen Elite Combat Forms. The pink needles exploding on the nearest two Combat Forms were slowing them down a little, giving her time to react quicker with her Plasma Rifle.

Suddenly, her Plasma Rifle powered down and no longer had its blue glow – no more plasma bolts!

"Oh no!" Yet, with quick thinking, she used the weapon to smack the oncoming third Elite Combat Form in the face (if that _was _even the face the first place), drop the weapon and unleash her wrist blade. She gave it a massive slash across the chest and it fell backward with a gargle.

To the other three oncoming hostiles, with some of them firing their weapons at her, Katerina had to rely on her Needler, her kicks and her wrist blade. The armor's shields were doing a marvelous job, thank goodness, easily stopping any shots.

She swung her Needler at the last Combat Form and drove her wrist blade into the center of its chest. Pushing it off with her foot, she was relieved to be able to get a moment to breathe, even though the atmosphere was still very much ominous. She sheathed the wrist blade and proceeded to reload the Needler with a new round she found on the ground. She also came across a Plasma Rifle with a good 74% of its battery left. Smiling to herself, she picked it up.

There were only two airlocks on this level; one on each end of the room. The one that was unlocked was on the other side. She was about to move forward when suddenly… a 'thump' halted her in her tracks.

Those thumps were getting closer and louder. She did not want to find out what it was so she pressed forward, only to stop again once she realized what caused those thumps.

Something was standing on the ledge to her right. She caught sight of it, wished she had not, and froze in place out of sheer terror. Her stomach was in knots right then and there and knew that what she was seeing at the moment could not be unseen. She wanted so desperately to look away perhaps even make it to the unlocked door, but she could not – this premonition of fright would not let her move. Neither would it let her speak.

The creature leaned forward and landed right in front of her, giving her a full view of her newest enemy. This thing… was massive. It must have been _at least_ 18-feet tall, making the poor only-6-feet Katerina break a cold sweat instantly, just by the height. Its body consisted of a spherical-like center made of Flood biomass, with tall legs possibly capable of making jumps and two immensely large and lengthy tentacles with pointed ends for arms.

Those arms could very well send her flying through any of these walls. Like a… a juggernaut? A juggernaut was a force will crush anything in its path. So considering its arms… it was an appropriate name to give. Yet, _how _could an infection create something as horrific as _this? _Katerina's heart could very well give out.

Well, it was either her or the… Juggernaut. _Shake the fear off, Kate! You must! Survive this for Darius! _

The creature took the smallest of steps (if possible) towards her. That immediately prompted her to turn around and run towards the locked airlock, screaming her lungs out.

The door refused to open and she heard the Juggernaut coming at her. Spinning around, it took a mere two steps to reach her. It was about to drive its pointed tentacle into her when she made the quick decision to roll to her left.

The Juggernaut's tentacle missed and got caught in the wall instead. Katerina took the opportunity to fire all needles and plasma bolts at it. 7 or more Needler rounds connected with the massive creature and exploded, causing it to moan in pain. She kept it up as she backed away and towards the unlocked airlock instead.

Out of the blue, she was thrown forward after the Juggernaut was free and swung its tentacle at her. The force was so powerful that she lost possession of her Plasma Rifle and Needler and landed on the other end of the room, right next to the unlock airlock.

There was no way the Juggernaut could follow her and exit the lab. The airlock was way too small for it. However, Katerina was unable to even get up and make a run for it after that throw. With a pained grunt, she sat up to face the Juggernaut. "Not like this. _Not _like this! All big things fall down! You _must _have a weakness!" She declared as she struggled to her feet, pain gnawing at her left leg.

As if the Juggernaut was taunting her, it replied with what sounded like an attempted shriek.

This was quickly followed by another attempted stab. This time, the female Elite rolled forward, brandished one Energy Sword in the midst, and severed one of its legs.

The evolved creature let go of a loud groan and got to its other knee. With its body on her level, Katerina put all of her might into driving the Energy Sword into the Juggernaut. When she sensed that it was going to try to whack her again, she swiftly pulled out the sword to sever one tentacle.

Then, she realized that her earlier stab caused a great opening in the Juggernaut's body. With quick thinking, she brought out a plasma grenade, activated it and stuck it into that wound. And despite her left leg hurting, she made sure to run like a bat out of hell, far, far away from the Juggernaut. She took cover behind a weapons cache that the Heretics had brought in.

**KABOOM!**

The explosion caused the ground to rumble, but thankfully, Katerina was a safe distance from the Juggernaut and did not obtain any further injuries. She timidly peered over the weapons cache to see what had become of the Juggernaut – a large portion of its center had blown off.

Nonetheless, the threat had been eradicated.

Perhaps stopping to catch her breath was a bad idea at the moment. She had better get to that unlocked airlock and make her escape.

"_Arbiter? Arbiter, are you still there?"_

So nice of Rtas to finally call in. As the airlock opened up, she found herself on the exterior of this part of the station. The storm was really getting violet now. Her waist-length glossy black hair was flying everywhere. Directly in front of her, more Flood forms were battling more Heretics, and then a Phantom swooped in to provide reinforcements and covering fire.

_Oh, thank goodness… _"Yes, Rtas, I am here." She said breathlessly.

"_We lost your signal after you disappeared deeper into the facility. The Flood has spread throughout the station! We don't have enough troops to manage such a large infestation!" _

"The Heretic Leader must be somewhere in there! Give me a little more time to find him!" She requested, then falling to her knees once the pain in her left leg _really _sunk in.

"Mother!" _Darius? He is alright? _Looking up, she found him running towards her in hysteria.

"Dar…" She stretched out one hand towards him. Darius took that hand and made sure he hugged her tightly. "I am _so _glad you are safe!"

"I had feared for the worst when we lost your signal," He told her, the happiness that his mother was still alive so rich in his tone. "I know how you feel about the Flood."

"You would not believe what I had encountered. I wish I could tell you," With his help, she got to her feet, slowly but painfully. "Ow, but I have a mission to complete."

"Are you injured?" Darius questioned with much concern.

"You can thank the hideous thing I encountered for that," She said, flexing her leg. "Ugh, but if I can just get a moment alone with Sesa, perhaps we can turn things around."

"If the certain situation we are in can allow you to,"

"Flood or not," She unsheathed one Energy Sword. "I will succeed. Let us press forward, Dar."

* * *

**A/N: Yep, the Juggernaut! I certainly wished that Bungie hadn't cut them because I think they would have been awesome to battle! It would have been a great challenge, no doubt!  
**

**So I decided to put the Juggernaut in this story instead :) **


	7. The Oracle

**Halo ****–**** Katerina Duran - "Make It Last: Of Trust and Friendship"**

* * *

**Location: Heart of the Station, Gas Mine, Threshold  
October 20****th****, 2552**

"Heretic boss! You see? You see?"

Despite the sharp pain in her left leg, Katerina tried her hardest to reach to him as the Heretic Leader made tracks for a door. "Sesa!"

Sesa 'Refumee turned his head for a second to see Katerina, as well as Spec Ops Elites and Grunts coming for him but continued for the door. Once he was passed it, it did not close shut. Instead, the doorway was shielded with hard light.

Katerina pounded her fists against the hard light. "Wait!"

Sesa tilted his head at her and simply said, "You had a chance, Katerina."

And the doors shut.

With a heavy sigh, she hung her head, turned around and slid down the hard light in despair, massaging her left thigh.

"Arbiter!" Rtas Vadamee jogged up to her, eyeing the door shielded by the hard light. "Where is he?"

"Locked himself in there, behind this door," She answered as Darius hurried to her with much concern. "Presumably to escape the oncoming storm."

"Stinking floodbait…" He muttered under his breath. "We will _never _break through this!"

It was then that Katerina took notice of a giant hologram right in the center of this part of the station. The hologram was projecting a 3D model of the entire station, Gas Mine. She also realized that 3 cables were holding the station in place.

A light bulb went over her head. Perhaps a little persuasion will make him listen to what she had to say.

"Not necessarily…" She said aloud as she got to her feet, her violet eyes still on the model. "Commander, get everyone back to the ships. I am going to draw the Leader out of his hole."

Rtas turned his head to her in confusion. "But how?"

She then pointed at the model. "The cable. I am going to cut it. If I do, he will want to escape, which means he will _run_. Then I may track him and finish him off. But I cannot do that if we have allies here; it will bring them great harm."

Darius only stood there behind his mother, gaping.

As for Rtas, he took a quick moment to comprehend her words and nodded in understanding, respecting her wish. "Warriors, return to the landing zone! The Arbiter is going to continue upward, cut this station loose and scare the Heretic from his hole!"

The remaining Spec Ops Elites and Grunts all had shocked expressions. They obeyed their commander and began to exit, not without hearing phrases like "May our Lords guide you" or even "We shall not forget your sacrifice" from the Elites. She gave them all a half but faked smile.

Rtas began to make his own move, not without telling Darius, "Give your wishes to your mother and then hurry, brother. We will be waiting."

Katerina turned back to her son, with an expression that said so many things to Darius. "I had a feeling about this… It is a perfect plan, mother. You draw out Sesa and you get to speak to him all alone."

She acknowledged with one nod. "Exactly, my boy. In the end, it will only be me and Sesa, and he can listen to what I have to say. Perhaps he will even accept my alliance."

"Mother?"

"Yes, Dar. Getting branded was the last straw. I am done. Let us escape and join Sesa," She said with a smile, squeezing his shoulder. "I speak to him, sort it all out and we will escape High Charity."

And Darius could not be happier to hear that. "It will be done then, mother. Just say the word."

"I will. Now go," She instructed with a soft pat on his left pair of mandibles. "Your mother will be alright, even against the Flood."

* * *

A quick elevator ride and Katerina was on the exterior of the station, where the 3 cables were located. In the midst of all of the awful Flood forms coming for her as well as the Sentinels, she managed to leave them all dead, sever the 3 cables, and the entire station began to plummet through the air.

Following a Banshee chase, she found herself at where she had begun – the part of the station with the Seraph Fighter. It was powerful enough to withstand the storm so that was where the Heretic Leader was going to. So was Katerina.

"Sesa, stop!"

Sesa paused for a brief moment before turning his head behind. "Katerina." He kept his twin Plasma Rifles in hand though Katerina drew none. "I would rather die by your hands than let the Prophets lead me to slaughter."

"No one is getting led to the slaughter, Sesa, and neither am I laying a hand on you," She declared in a strict tone. "I needed an excuse to pull you out of your little hiding place and speak to you and that is what I will do."

"Speak to me? About what, Katerina?" He took a few slow steps towards her, to which she stood her ground. "Do you wish to join our cause _now_? Well, I am afraid it is too little too late," He took a sarcastic tone and it showed how he was not amused one bit. "You seem to have let our hideout plummet through the air!"

"Sesa-"

"And let us not forget the countless men you killed!"

"Sesa, I had _no choice_!" She cried out. "The Prophets! Truth – he would have eradicated whatever was left of my Keep! My State! _How _can you expect me to put them in so much danger?"

Sesa chuckled evilly. "That is not possible, Katerina – the day you decided to call the Journey a lie was the day your State fell in danger…"

Her violet eyes widened at that remark. "You hypocritical _bastard._ YOU still believed in the Great Journey back then! I never believed in it since I was 15! I moved to a State and Keep who shared the same belief and dislike for the Covenant! Whatever is was that caused your change of heart-"

Katerina swallowed her words when she picked up what sounded like… humming. She glanced up and immediately, her jaw dropped.

A familiar humming is heard. The Arbiter looks up and sees 343 Guilty Spark descending from above.

"Hello! I am 343 Guilty Spark. I am the Monitor of Installation 04!"

The floating round-edged cube with a single blue eye. Yep. That was Spark alright. The same one her son Darius encountered on Halo in the Library, as well as by Katerina onboard the _Pillar of Autumn_.

"Ask the Oracle about Halo!" Sesa told her, clutching his fist tightly in anger. "How they would sacrifice us all for _nothing_!"

"No need for that, Sesa," She kept her eye on Guilty Spark. "Darius already had an encounter with the Monitor and I know _everything_…"

"Excellent," A sudden kick and Katerina was sent flying before landing on her back.

She glanced at him in utter horror. "Sesa!" She watched as he used his jetpack to land atop of the Seraph fighter and pulled out two little spherical objects. She got to her feet, pulling out twin Needlers.

"Then you can _die _knowing that your belief was not false at all…" Sesa unclutched his fists that the objects, turning out to be holodrones, float in the air and immediately shift into… into holograms of Sesa himself.

_Oh no. _Katerina did not take her fingers off the trigger. It appeared that only one of them was going to leave this falling facility alive.

* * *

**A/N: A little chapter before Kate kicks the Leader's butt!  
**


	8. To The End

**Halo ****–**** Katerina Duran - "Make It Last: Of Trust and Friendship"**

* * *

**Location: Heart of the Station, Gas Mine, Threshold  
October 20****th****, 2552**

"Sesa, this is _insanity_! I am _not _your enemy!"

Katerina wondered if her pleas could even be heard above the noises caused by plasma bolts connecting with the pillar she was hiding behind. She could not go left or right because of the two holographic versions of him firing at her, immobilizing her.

"Only _one _of us will leave this facility, Katerina! Come out so I may kill you!"

She cursed in Sangheilli, though the bolts drowned out what she was saying. It was all or nothing at this point and she knew it.

So she turned to her left and started to fire the shots from both Needlers. The two holodrones were stationed on her left and right, equipped with their jet packs, so accuracy proved to be challenging. However, that was the beauty of Needler rounds. She did not let go of the trigger as she ran towards them, despite the pain in her left leg.

The Seraph Fighter was still in the hanger bay with the real Sesa and the monitor, 343 Guilty Spark still atop of it, watching Katerina's every move. She knew for a fact that Sesa was simply waiting for the perfect moment to step in and finish Katerina off so she had to be cautious of him as well. This was all too overwhelming!

The needle rounds were proving to be effective against the holodrones; just a little more and they would go offline. She needed to finish this fast.

So even with the sharp pain in her left thigh, she kept her eye on the one holodrone that was closer to the ground, jumped and ran her wrist blade across it. It shifted and the holodrone fell to the ground, going offline.

When Katerina landed back on her good foot, she spun around with a plasma grenade in hand and tossed it at the second holodrone, hoping to distract it. As luck would have it, it stuck!

Following the explosion, it was time for the real Heretic Leader to get to work and finish off this female Sangheili. He fired his twin Plasma Rifle at her and it connected with every hit. Knowing her shields could not take anymore, she turned and ran for the nearest pillar.

"What is wrong, Katerina?" The bolts stopped and she could hear his voice clearly. He was still a distance away. "Unable to take anymore?" He taunted with the cruelest of voices as he landed on the same level as Katerina, leaving Spark atop of the Seraph Fighter. "Your resilience was _bound _to fall apart _some _time, dear! Once again, you had a chance to leave and you chose not to. Why did you not? Why do you think you can honestly save what little is left back on the State of Duran? After all, _you _caused its current state!"

That was it.

She felt as if she had lost all control when she emerged from the pillar to fire all the rounds left in the magazines. While Sesa thought he could escape the needles by ascending, the needler round proved to be much faster and they effectively took down his shields, as well as hindering his ability to fly higher.

Katerina took his chance to put at least three more needler rounds into him, cracking his armor's chest plate as well as his skin. Falling to his knees, he knew that this was the end. Katerina knew it from his chuckle.

"It… appears that you have won, Katerina…" He said in little pained sniggers, pulling out one of the needler rounds, tipped with his blood.

"I did not win a damned _thing_, Sesa!" She shot back, walking up to him. "Now _look _what you have made me done to you!" Katerina whined, dropping both the Needlers. "How many times do I have to tell you that I had no choice but to stay with the Covenant?! You may not have considered the consequences, but _I _did!"

"Lies!" He glanced up at her, one hand on his chest and the other one the ground in an attempt to stabilize himself. "If you had, you would not even _be _in this position!"

The color drained from her face right then.

"If you had not called the Great Journey a lie all those years ago, in front of the Prophets, your entire State would not have been eradicated!" He stopped to spit out blood and catch his breath, prompting Katerina to hurry to him and grab him before he could fall backwards.

"How was I to know that Truth would give me such a cruel punishment?" She told him, but then realization came over her. "No… no I _was _to know… I should have known…"

"And that… is why you are here."

She locked her gaze with his.

"Perhaps there is still some hope for you, Katerina. Do what you must to live, but you _must _take down all of the Prophets for spinning lies to the rest of the Covenant!"

She struggled, but managed to give a nod. "I will."

And Sesa laid his head back with a heavy sigh.

Immediately, a wave of guilt and shame washed over her. She whispered her apologizes over and over again as she laid is body on the ground. She never took her eyes off him as she stood up.

"Unfortunate," She was taken away from her thoughts to face the Monitor, whom she almost forget about considering the situation. "His edification was most enjoyable."

Katerina took a moment to study Spark before saying, "Monitor, my name is Katerina Duran. You encountered my son, Darius, and his unit back on Halo, at the Library, You were bringing them to obtain the Index? You spoke of many things about Halo, about the Forerunners, about the Flood. Tell me: is it true? What Halo's true purpose is?"

"Why, yes!" Came an exultant reply. "My creators created Halo for the sole purpose of eliminating the Flood. Once activated, Halo will – ooohhh myyyyyy!"

All of a sudden, Spark was being dragged away by some unseen force, completely baffling the female Elite.

"Monitor, hang on!" She called out, running for him.

She stopped dead in her tracks when she discovered the cause of it. Spark was now attached to the end of the Fist of Rukt, the gravity hammer of Tartarus.

Oh hell. It's Tartarus.

She had not even realized that there was a Phantom at the hanger bay's doors. "Tartarus, have you lost it?! _That _is the Mon- I mean the Oracle!"

Tartarus pulled off Spark and tossed him into the Phantom's Gravity Lift behind him casually. "So it is," He said indifferently. "Come. We are leaving this system."


	9. The Index

**Halo ****–**** Katerina Duran - "Make It Last: Of Trust and Friendship"**

* * *

**Location: Katerina's Private Chambers, High Charity  
October 20****th****, 2552**

"This should have been treated a while ago,"

Katerina Duran winced in pain, shutting just one eye tightly as she drew her breath in a long hiss. "The pain was manageable, Dar. Really."

"_Of course_ it was," Darius said with just a hint of sarcasm, enough for his mother to detect it. "You know, sometimes I believe that you are too stubborn for your own good. You should care more about your safety." He told her strictly yet lovingly as he massaged her left leg.

She smiled sweetly and titled her head at him. "I have you to do that for me, do I not?"

He snorted a laugh at that though. "If only I could accompany you in your missions, then yes," He kept his full concentration on her thigh. "So tell me, mother – the creature you encountered within the facility's laboratories that did this to you? What was it?"

Katerina heaved a great sigh. "I am… not even sure myself, dear. It was just… _so _tall and frightening. I had _no idea _an infection could create something like that," She then gazed into the distance, to recall the Juggernaut and its appearance. "It was twice as tall and I was. Terribly long legs and two tentacles that sent me flying and thus this pain in my leg- ow!"

"Sorry," He quickly apologized, resuming his massage.

"Ah, no worries, dear."

"How did you kill it?" He questioned inquisitively.

"Severed one of its legs and wedged a grenade into an opening I gave it. Killed it instantly," She said. "I just… never want to experience something so horrifying ever again, Dar. My heart was ready to give out at the sight of that thing," She clutched her heart in response. "I do not think I will ever dispose of this fear of the Flood…"

Darius reached out to squeeze her upper left arm comfortingly. "Who could blame you, mother? Considering what happened to-" He stopped himself from continuing any further, for his mother's sake.

However, Katerina decided to finish it. "To Versera?"

Apple-green cat-like eyes widened at her.

"Perhaps the… incident with him further accelerated my fear of the Flood, yes. I just…" The female Sangheili halted to close her eyes and take in a deep breath. "I just often wonder… if he suffered greatly." She said, hanging her head.

Darius did not say a word. He just simply took his mother's hand into his.

* * *

**Location: Katerina's Private Chambers, High Charity  
November 3****rd****, 2552**

"The Prophets summoned you? For what reason?"

"I do not know, my dear. But for whatever reason it is for, it has to be an Arbiter's duty." Katerina replied, combing out the knots in her glossy, raven-black waist-lengthen hair.

She was looking into the tall mirror as she did this, with Darius standing behind her. As she spoke, he caught sight of a smirk on her lips. "And you can say that with a smile on your face."

The smirk blew into a grin. "Well, with news such as the one we had received yesterday, how can I _not _smile?"

To that, Darius could not stop the chuckles that were coming to him. "I can understand that: one of the Prophets is dead."

"I have always wanted to shut Regret up myself - by shoving my sword through his gullet," Once she got out all of the knots, she turned her body to Darius. "But I am not complaining."

"So it is just Mercy and Truth who are left."

"Yes. Mercy, well, I am not too sure how to deal with him. Perhaps we could wait it out and let his age take care of it. As for Truth…"

"Face-to-face. I understand." He folded his arms across his chest.

"It _is _personal between him and our State," She said. "And I know that murdering him will not bring back… all that we have lost but it will ease the pain a little." Heaving a sigh, she got to her feet, dressed in her black body suit. "Darling, could you hand me my shawl?"

"Of course." From the table behind him, he grabbed the bright purple shawl and handed it to his mother.

"Thank you, Dar," Fanning it out, she draped it over her shoulders and pinned it in place with her brooch, which bore the insignia of the State of Duran, a ten-sided star. "After all these years. The shawl and the brooch still stay strong."

* * *

**Location: Sanctum of the Hierarchs, High Charity**

During Katerina's journey to the Sanctum of the Hierarchs, she noticed… something new – The Jiralhanae were replacing the Elites as the Honor Guards, taking and wearing their equipment. She even witnessed some Brutes fighting over choice parts. She could only draw to one conclusion and that was that the Prophets were thinking that the Elites could no longer protect them. Kind of a harsh decision, she thought.

When she entered the sanctum at last, Rtas 'Vadumme and two of his Elites were leaving. She stopped to greet him and Rtas simply gave her a nod and the word, "Arbiter,"

"Commander," She replied quickly, easily catching the disappointed expression he had on. Something had happened to cause Rtas to be this upset. Could it be the changing of the guards? Perhaps.

A small sigh interrupted her thoughts. "Politics… how tiresome..." Truth. The sheer sight of his San 'Shyuum sickened her greatly. "Do you know about this, Katerina? The Elites have threatened to resign. To quit the High Council. All because of this…" He tried to think of an appropriate word, but probably one to mock the situation. "Exchange of hats?"

Katerina swallowed a little gulp. "You must understand, Noble Hierarch: the Elites have always been your protectors."

"That may be so," He was so monotonous, it was intimidating. "But these are trying times, for all of us."

The Prophet was Mercy was in attendance as well, staying by Truth's side. "Even as the humans' annihilation filled us with satisfaction, the loss of one of the Sacred Rings wracked our hearts with grief." His words took a sorrowful turn at the mention of Installation 04.

Truth winced slightly in annoyance and waved his hand at Mercy "_Putting aside our sorrow_…" He glanced at the female Elite once again. "We renewed our faith in the prophecy that the other rings would be found,"

Then, both Prophets parted to reveal Installation 05 through the windows. Katerina had to take in a deep breath at the sight of it; the thought of Halo's purpose irked at her. "And see, Katerina, _how _out faith has been rewarded…"

Mercy raised in arms up high as possible, basking in Halo's presence. "Halo! Its divine wind will rush through the stars! Propelling all who are worthy along the path to salvation!"

_Always the preacher_, she thought.

"And as you know, Katerina," Truth motioned for her to follow him deeper into the sanctum. "For ages, we searched for one who might unlock the secrets of the ring. An _Oracle_."

And now she knew why: there was 343 Guilty Spark, who seemed to have been suspended in a gravity beam, preventing any and all sort of movement. She _had _indeed wondered what an happened to the Monitor all this time, ever since Tartarus stuck it onto the end of his Gravity Hammer.

Mercy caught up with them, taking his place opposite Truth and Katerina, around the gravity beam. "And with appropriate humility, Arbiter, we plied the Oracle with questions. And it, with clarity and grace, has shown us the key."

A quick tap to the controls on his gravity throne and a holographic image of a bright green object in the shape of a 'T' popped up in front of her. She titled her head at it in slight confusion.

"Now then, Katerina, that is why we have summoned you," That caught Katerina's attention and she turned her body to the High Prophet. "You have done well in dealing with the Heretics and their Leader. So you will journey to the surface of the ring and retrieve this Sacred Icon. And with it, we shall fulfill our promise."

_Sacred Icon? Ah. So _this _must be 'Index' that the Monitor was telling Dar about. Bringing it to Halo's control room will activate Halo and destroy all sentient life in the galaxy. _

"And begin the Great Journey."

Keeping her violet eyes fixed on the hologram of the Index, Katerina could only think to herself, "_Not if I can help it."_


	10. Hope

**Halo ****–**** Katerina Duran - "Make It Last: Of Trust and Friendship"**

* * *

**Location: Phantom Landing Pad, High Charity  
November 3****rd****, 2552**

"The Index?"

"Yes. The Monitor told them all about it."

"But… but if the Monitor told them about the Index then…"

"I know, Dar. The Prophets should have been informed of Halo's _true _power as well. And yet, they continue to believe in the Great Journey."

"My Goodness. They have lost it,"

"Yes, well, they never had it,"

Katerina Duran's new mission today was to retrieve the Index – dubbed as the 'Sacred Icon' by the Covenant – from Installation 05's Library. Upon learning this, she was at a great conflict, but she knew what had to be done to save the galaxy. Clad in her Arbiter armor and the violet scarf, she was about to relay her plan to her eldest son.

"Please, mother. Take care of yourself," Darius placed his hands firmly on her shoulders. "If we have learnt anything from the previous Halo's Library, is that the Flood are contained there. I do not wish for you to be traumatized any further."

Katerina tore away from that concerned gaze, and hovered on the edge of a faked smile. "That is a lot to wish for, darling. I must do what I must do and if I have to go through the Flood of all horrid things, then I must." She reached up to pat him left set of mandibles. "I will try to stay calm and not let my fear take over. I promise."

The fact that he could not accompany his mother – that disappointment was what she saw in his eyes. "I just wish you did not have to do this. Once the Prophets get hold of the Index, then that would be it. You _cannot _let them have it, mother."

That was when a smile made its way to her lips. "Who said that the Prophets would get the Index?"

"… Mother?"

"When have you ever known me to do something _without _having a plan, dear boy?" She asked, accompanied by a little laugh. Shifting her eyes behind her son, there stood Tartarus by his Phantom, waiting for Katerina to join up for the mission. "You see, I am going alone on this mission. Once Tartarus picks me up, I kill him and his pilot, take control of the Phantom and run. So once I leave, give yourself some time then make your escape from this wretched place. I do not know how, but we will meet up on Halo."

His mandibles parted slightly in awe. "Are you serious, mother? You are taking a rather huge risk here."

"Do I have a _choice_, Dar? This is the Index we are talking about. We know what would happen once it had been brought to the Control Center! We cannot let that happen. It is time." She got another quick glance at Tartarus, who was getting rather impatient. "I must go now, Dar, but you have to do it."

He gave her an assuring nod at that. "Consider it done, mother. Watch yourself, and I will see you on Halo."

A quick hug and she left her son's presence, wondering if she had made the right decision.

* * *

**Location: Onboard the Phantom, en route to Installation O5's Sentinel Wall**

The Covenant Carbine was not really a choice weapon for Katerina. She favored her Energy Swords, Plasma Rifles, Needlers and not forgetting Magnums, a weapon created by the humans. She had found that they were highly effective and that it was to her liking.

However, perhaps it was a good idea to have a weapon with some distance, because when dealing with the Flood, Katerina preferred not to be too close to them. In fact, not being in the same room with them was even better. How she hated them.

It was to her understanding that the Containment Shield needed to be brought down in order for the Sentinel Wall to be breached and to enter the Library. If it was Katerina's choice, she would leave it alone. In fact, she would be miles from this place. How blind (and stupid) can the Covenant get? Do they not understand that there is no Great Journey? That-

"Once the shield is down, we will head straight to the Library. I do not wish to keep the Hierarchs waiting."

That deep and unkind tone. Tartarus. She did not know if it was her she was talking to, but when there was silence after he had spoken, she decided to fuel a curiosity she had had since yesterday. "Tartarus. Do you have any clue as to who murdered the Prophet of Regret?"

She waited for an annoyed and frustrated reply due to the nature of her question and she did. "_Who _do you _think_?"

Suddenly, her bright purple eyes lit up. "You mean, the Spar- I mean, the Demon is here?"

He gave her what sounded like an affirmative snort. It sounded a little disgusting to her over her radio. "And he _will pay _for what he has done…"

Katerina was not listening. She was in beaming smiles. There was hope after all. Her little friend was here on Halo.

* * *

**A/N: A little chapter before another one of my favorite Arbiter levels, "Sacred Icon"! :)  
**


	11. Journey to the Index

**Halo ****–**** Katerina Duran - "Make It Last: Of Trust and Friendship"**

* * *

**Location: Sentinel Wall, Installation 05  
November 3****rd****, 2552**

Tartarus' Phantom dropped her off at a landing in a huge hole created in the Sentinel Wall. A rather heated battle must have transpired, as evidenced by the purple and blue blood, Covenant weapons and weapons racks, and Sentinel Beams scattered all over the area. She was not even aware that other Covenant forces had been here. It must have been to retrieve the Index.

So if Katerina was sent in, it must be harder to get to the Index than she thought.

She peered past her shoulder to see the Phantom flying off into the dusty and grey night. Alright. It was do or die time. She _had _to get to the Index and make off with it, prevent it from falling into the Prophets' grimy hands. It would not be an easy task, that was for sure. Flood forms and Sentinels would be crawling everywhere. She had to watch her back and survive.

She clutched the Covenant Carbine close to her beating heart. The air was filled will peril and she could smell it. Before taking the first step, she decided to check the magazine in her Carbine, make sure the two Energy Swords were strapped to the side of her hips and all her Plasma Grenades were accounted for.

Taking a deep breath, she proceeded forward, avoiding the dead bodies and pieces of Sentinels. At the end of this room (what remained of it), was a tall, rectangular piston. On each of the four sides, was what appeared to be a tiny control panel, similar to any Forerunner one. Since there was nowhere else to go, she had to give this control panel a try.

A feather-like touch and the piston hissed, even giving off steam. The next thing she knew, the piston ascended to reveal a passageway, that seemed to be some kind of slide. She stared down at it with widened bright purple eyes. A passageway? That travels downwards?

Was that even safe?

Only one way to find out.

* * *

**Soon…**

"Ow! Ow! OW! HOW DO I- I DO NOT EVEN- HELP!"

Katerina did not expect for the curvy passageway to be long and… painful. If it was possible, she did not slide down that passageway, she _stumbled._ "Duran's sake! HELP!"

A few more bumps and she landed flat on her face with a 'thud!'. "… I do not… appreciate this…" She said in muffles, lifting herself off the ground. If only she could wear the Arbiter helmet, she would. It would have protected her head. However, it was built for male Sangheili, thus incompatible with her triangular head.

She got to her knees, and saw that her grenades and swords were in place; the Carbine was lying on the ground next to her. Perfect – her items were accounted for.

Picking it up, she got to her feet, not without feeling the stings in her body from that fall.

This new room was very enclosed. From a short distance, was another piston, which meant another passageway ride. Great.

From the corner of her eye, was a Sentinel entrance. The lid slide open and out came a Sentinel, much to her displeasure. She halted immediately, struck by fear.

The Sentinel turned and looked at her.

_Oh no. _

The Sentinel fired its beam at her, causing her shields to flicker. She quickly took cover behind a short pillar to ready her Carbine and recharge her shields. The area was quiet as a graveyard so she could easily hear the Sentinel humming towards her location.

Stepping out of concealment, she fired a few rounds into the Sentinel, its shields taking most of the damage, but it did prevent the Sentinel from concentrating and returning the fire. The Sentinel disassembled into little broken pieces.

That may have been out of the way, but this place was sure to be crawling of Sentinel entrances. Only one way to stop them. Reaching to the side of her hip, she pulled out a Plasma Grenade, activated it and flung it at the door.

Now, she had to conquer the next 'fun' slide.

* * *

**Soon…**

Katerina was still trying to get the hang of tackling this passageway and its weird slide function. At least this time, she landed on her feet.

Once she did, the familiar sounds of gunfire rang through this new area. Walking out, this place had _several _more Sentinel entrances and a few living Grunts and Jackals engaging in battle with them.

"Covenant? Here? And still alive?" She questioned out loud. Might as well assist them.

A nearby Grunt caught sight of the Arbiter and her Carbine shots and gasped in utter shock. "Arbiter?"

"Do not be afraid! Continue firing at them!" No time to say hi! "Throw your plasma grenades at the Sentinel doors to destroy them! Hurry!"

* * *

**Soon…**

Finishing off the remaining Sentinel and destroying their doors, Katerina made sure that the remaining Grunts and Jackals were unharmed and spoke with them.

"Lady Arbiter! Our savior!" Another Grunt said gleefully with large, hopeful eyes. Eyeing the Jackal next to it, he harshly said, "Stupid Jackal, say thank you!"

Katerina grinned at that. The Grunts could make her smile at times. "What are you all doing here?"

"Holy Prophets sent us here! To find Sacred Icon, along with Brutes!" replied the same Grunt. "But big, scary thing in next room! Too powerful! Killed many Brutes before we came! We no go back!"

"A big, scary thing? As in…" Her heart skipped a beat. "A Flood Form?"

"No, Lady Arbiter! Forerunner!"

Her forehead creased with worry and concern for this next enemy in the next room. Getting on the radio, she needed answers. "Tartarus? Have you been monitoring my progress thus far?"

"Indeed I have, little Kate," Katerina almost winced at that. She hated for him to call her that. "You are getting close to one of the shield generators. Many of my Brutes have fallen attempting to take it down. Let us see if you fare better."

"We shall see…" She replied bitterly. "I have found some survivors. They speak of a big, scary thing in the next room?"

Tartarus knew that meant. "There is an Enforcer in the shield generator room. A large Forerunner guardian designed to suppress the Flood. It is useless to attack the Enforcer at the front, especially when its shields are up. However with your new friends, I am sure you can take it out." That last sentence was not without mirth.

_Ugh_. She hated almost everything about that Brute. The slightest thing he would say or do was repulsive to her. "Fine." With that, she cut the connection. "Comrades, if we are to reach the Sacred Icon, we must fight that Enforcer. And I have a plan for it."

* * *

**A/N: Apologize for the wait. National Exams have taken over my life DX  
**


	12. 100, 000 Year War

**Halo ****–**** Katerina Duran - "Make It Last: Of Trust and Friendship"**

* * *

**Location: Sentinel Wall, Installation 05  
November 3****rd****, 2552**

"There, Lady Arbiter! Big, scary thing!"

Following the Grunts and Jackals, Katerina Duran was taken to where the Enforcer was, occupying the room where the shield generator was. It was her job to overload the power source's lock, remove it and thus opening the way to the wall and through it. That way, Katerina would not have to face the Flood at all once Tartarus picks up her up. Perfect.

"Alright," She turned to the two Grunts and two Jackals. "Use your Plasma Pistols and aim for its shields. One they have been taken down, we strike as hard as possible."

"But Lady Arbiter, what if it strikes _back_?"

"Do not be afraid!" She told them with much encouragement. "Do you not want to do this for the… the Great Journey? Well the… the glorious Sacred Icon lies beyond this thing!" It would only take some fancy Covenant Religion-related words to convince them.

"Ready? Advance!"

A total of three overloaded bolts from their Plasma Pistols and all three of the Enforcer's shield were down. It stumbled backwards, stunned, at which Katerina and her comrades took this opportunity to proceed forward and fire everything they had on that thing levitating above them. She even sent in a Plasma Grenade for kicks.

Just then, the hovering Forerunner machine began to fire missiles from it back spraying the whole room in an effort to strike Katerina or her comrades. She rolled forward, directly under the Enforcer, and stuck another Plasma Grenade under it.

Within the few short seconds she had before it would explode, she rolled forward once again to escape the explosion and possibly, its destruction.

The Enforcer dismantled into pieces in the air before all the parts came crashing down.

Heaving a huge sigh of relieve, she got to her feet and reloaded her Carbine… only to realize that she was only one standing.

* * *

**Location: Sentinel Wall (Exterior) **

Riding the platform, the gigantic doors before her opened up, revealing the Library. She noticed the bright-green shield surrounding the Library fading away. So the Library's been breached.

Wouldn't this mean… the flood?

Tartarus' Phanom appeared from her right, flying lower as it followed the platform. "Excellent work, Katerina. Our path to the Library is clear," The Brute made radio contact with her. "I will pick you up on the ledge ahead."

"That sounds good to me," She replied, practically elated on the inside. She would not have to fight any Flood!

The door of the approaching wall then opens up… to another Enforcer and upon viewing the Phantom, fired its missiles at it.

She then heard Tartarus growling over the radio in displeasure. "Argh! Blasted machines! Make your own way through the wall, Arbiter!"

"Wait, what?!" Upon witnessing his Phantom flying away from her, she then began to panic as the platform moved closer to the opposite end, where that one Enforcer, a dozen Sentinels and… and Flood Forms began to fight to the death. "No, wait! Tartarus, DO NOT leave me with those abominations! Tartarus!"

He was no longer in radio communication with her. "You unbelievable _bastard_!" She screeched at his Phantom as it flew off into the distance. "I can't believe you are leaving me like this! I honestly cannot WAIT until I run off with the Index and neither you, nor your Brutes can do a DAMNED THING about it!"

There was no way she could survive this ongoing conflict between the Sentinels and the Flood Forms. She _needed _a way out.

She had almost forgotten about her armor's cloaking system.

* * *

**Location: Containment Shield  
**

Katerina had never been so happy to see a piston. Who cares if it was the one with the infuriating slides?

Using her armor's cloaking systems, she managed to slip away and enter the Sentinel Wall. Since the cloaking only lasted a few short seconds, she had to time it perfectly and run as fast as her feet could carry her.

When her cloak _did _fade away and she knew she was being chased by those Flood forms, all she could do was keep running and turn around to give the occasional shot from her Carbine.

The Sentinels, however, did not give her much trouble. In fact, they were more interested in destroying the Flood Forms. This definitely gave some sort of advantage to Katerina; the forms chasing her would slow down.

Running down a hallway and jumping into a large hole at the end of it, she found herself in another long and creepy hallway. Not wanting to waste any time, she proceeded forward, and made an incredible discovery:

Her COM link suddenly picked up the following: "Proceed to the objective, we'll hold out as long as we can- AH NOOO! Get it off me!"

"Suppressive fire! Suppressive FIRE!"

_Humans?_

It made sense as to why some of those Flood Forms were _Human _Forms.

Humans were here. Yet, why? What business would they have here?

Unless… they were here to retrieve the Index. To stop the Covenant from getting it first.

PERFECT. It was going better than expected. She needed to allow the Humans to retrieve the Index first and take it to safety. Looks like that would be the plan now.

As she moved down this hallway, it was relatively empty, which was good thing. Well, except for the Sentinel pieces and the dead Flood Forms. Along the way, the weapons used were scattered as well. And Katerina's violet eyes fell on two Magnums.

A smile played on her lips as she retrieved them and found that their magazines were full. She also found that the nearby Flood Human Form was carrying the extra magazines she needed. This was her lucky day! Over the years, she found this human weapon extremely useful, that it became her favorite choice of weapon. Noticing that her Carbine was near empty, she decided to toss that one aside and carry these two, including her twin Energy Swords, which she was yet to use.

Considering how eerie this place was, she suspected that she would need them for close quarter combat _pretty _soon.

* * *

**An Energy Alley, several Flood-infested chambers and halls, and one really-not fun tunnel later… **

"Come on, come on!" Striking yet, another control panel on a piston, Katerine turned her back to it and fired her Magnums at the oncoming Elite Combat Forms while the piston opened at a painfully slow rate. "Open up!"

A hard kick to a form that got _way _to close without knowing what personal space was, Katerina spun around, and practically dove into the tunnel.

No matter how hard she tried to keep her footing, there was just no use; she was going through this tunnel as if it was a pinball machine.

"OW! WAIT! NO, STOP!"

A few more 'ows' and 'oofs' and she landed flat on her face. Again. "Duran's sake… the Forerunners were TERRIBLE designers!" She cursed as she pushed herself off the floor.

She found that she was still within the tunnel, but that there was a large square-like doorway just in front of her. With a pained grunt, she got to her feet and it opened up, revealing the outside. The Library was there, in a distance, against a sky of black and orange.

In these parts of Halo, the weather was meant to be wintery, it seems. The biting, predatory chill gazed against whatever skin the armor did not protect. Walking on the snowy grounds, she decided to stop to rest a little. Two consecutive tunnel rides was not what her body needed.

As soon as she sat on a nearby rock, Orbital Insertion Pods came plummeting through the air and landed around her, giving her a bit of a scare.

About 5 of them were there. Elites kicked open the covers and was greeted by the sight of a tired Arbiter.

"Forerunners be praised!" The lone Zealot in there ran up to Katerina, offering his hand to get her to her feet. "The Arbiter!"

Taking his hand, she questioned him about their presence here. "What are you all doing here, brother?"

"This Quarantine Zone has been compromised, Arbiter," He replied, pulling out twin Plasma Rifles from their holsters attached to his sides. "We must do what we can against the Flood. The Commander has landed further in. Come. Let us join him."

Oh. So Rtas was here as well. The Prophets were _not _taking any chances! News of the Humans attempting to reach to the Index must have hit them and how they are doing whatever it takes. Well, as long as Katerina was still here that was not going to happen.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, inukag94, I updated! SO DON'T EAT ME :'(  
Happy belated birthday! Thanks for following this story! :) **

**Yay. National Exams are over! x)  
**


	13. Betrayal

**Halo ****–**** Katerina Duran - "Make It Last: Of Trust and Friendship"**

* * *

**Location: Sentinel Wall, Installation 05  
November 3****rd****, 2552**

"Well, now that the threat has been neutralized for now… What are you doing here, Katerina?"

Katerina took a second to catch her breath, and wipe away a small trail of blood on her neck. "The Inde- I mean, Sacred Icon. I have been sent to retrieve it where others have failed. It is… critical to the Great Journey so I must do what I can to find it."

Rtas Vadumee nodded in comprehension. "Then you are not alone," Turning his back to Katerina, he began to address the remaining Elites from the last battle. "We shall cut into the heart of this infestation, retrieve the Icon, and burn any Flood that stand in our way!"

His Elites roared in agreement, save for Darius Duran, who was eyeing his mother.

Satisfied with his unit's declaration, the Commander turned back to Katerina. "The parasite is not to be trifled with, Arbiter. I hope you know what you are doing."

A faint smile played on her thin lips. "Oh, but I do, Commander. Not to worry." _I know exactly what to do. And it involves me running off with your precious 'Icon'. _

"Proceed, then. I will follow when reinforcements arrive." So saying, he headed back to his Phantom, prompting Darius to walk over to his mother, and give her the overdue hug.

"Change of plans, I presume?"

"So it seems, dear boy," She was just overjoyed to see her firstborn. Pulling back, Darius handed her his Energy Sword to replace one of her two which had ran out of battery. "Retrieving the Index is still my duty. However, since you are here with me, we would not have to meet up or have you escape High Charity. Let us stay close and do this together, alright?"

"Of course, mother," He said with what she knew would have been a little smile as he lifted her chin up higher. "Together."

* * *

**Inside the structure…**

"What?! The parasite controls our vehicles?!"

"No matter! They will die all the same!"

It was a rather horrifying sight: seeing Flood Combat Forms take control of vehicles, be they Human or Covenant. Katerina suddenly felt like breaking a cold sweat, seeing as how she and Darius were on foot. However, the Elites using Ghosts and a lone Spectre were taking care of it; Katerina and Darius could focus on the Sentinels high above them.

Paying close attention, Katerina found a Flood-controlled Ghost attempt to run her over. Moving fast, she instead timed it perfectly and rolled out of the way, when the Ghosts used its boost and was thrown over the ledge, into the abyss. _Not very smart, are we?_

Sticking close together, the unit moved forward to find an unmanned Warthog. At the lower level, there a Scorpion Tank, more Ghosts, and another Warthog, all of which are controlled by the Flood.

"Darius! The Warthog!" Katerina pointed to it. "Take control of the turret!"

Warthogs: a favorite of Katerina's, next to the Scorpion Tanks. She liked how much damage a Tank could do. A Wraith was a little useless to her, considering how slow it was and its lack in accuracy. It took a while, but her years in the Covenant allowed her to come across Human vehicles and even learn to operate them. Her size was just right to fit into the driver's seat.

"Take down every Flood bastard you see, Dar,"

"Keep it steady for me then, mother!"

* * *

**At the Gondolas… **

She had no idea Flood-controlled vehicles could be so intimidating, especially when it was valley full of Flood-controlled Wraiths. By the time Katerina and Darius were done with all those Wraiths, their Warthog was beat up. She and Darius and their unit had to travel on foot when it came to the Sentinel Construct factory. Once they had bypassed it, a fully-operational tank was waiting for them, much to Katerina's joy.

Now, what was left of the unit was taking the Gondola to the Library. Tartarus finally joined up, his Phantom flying above the Gondola. "I see that coward did not join you. I will do what I can to keep the Flood away from you."

_Somehow, I do not count on it… _

The entrance the Library was in the shape of circle. As the Gondola proceed forward, the circular entrance rotated and then opened up in four-quarters. The Forerunners had quite the design, but it was not impressing Katerina, once she had met their not-so-fun tunnels.

"We are getting close," Katerina nudged at her son, taking in a slow breath.

"Nervous, mother?"

"We are about to escape with an instrument that very well determines the fate of the Universe, and when we do, the Covenant are not going to be happy about it. So yes… I _am _nervous," She said. "We will be hunted. This was a stupid plan. What was I even thinking?!"

"Mother," Darius gripped her upper arms to calm her. "We will figure it out. But rigt now, it is important that we do not let the Index fall into _their _hands. We will do what we must. The future? We will figure that out later."

Katerina was unknowingly cupping both sides of his face. Panic was just flowing through her like a flood. "Yes. Yes, you are right. We can do this."

"We cannot let the humans capture the Icon!" Tartarus' bellow over the COM channels interrupted the moment. "The Hierarchs do not look kindly on failure!"

The Humans had already taken a Gondola and were ahead of Katerina. Perhaps that was a good thing. It meant that she and her son would just have to _protect _them from these Covenant forces as they leave with the Index, right?

"But we would not have to do much," She turned her head to him again. "The Humans have advanced. _They _know of Halo's true purpose. They will be taking the Index only to keep it safe. All we need to do is ensure that they take off with it, right?"

"Right…"She caught the realization in his apple-green eyes. "They do not pose as a threat. They hope to stop the Prophets from firing Halo."

So Katerina grinned. "We now have a plan: protect the Humans."

* * *

**Location: The Library (at last!) **

"The humans are already inside, Arbiter! After them! The Elites and I will watch the perimeter."

Katerina stepped off the Gondola with one Energy Sword and two Magnums in her possession. She straightened her shawl (amazed that it was still in perfect condition after everything that had transpired; perhaps not letting the Flood get close to her was a reason) and turned to her son. "As we have discussed, Dar."

Darius nodded. "I will be right here. Do not worry – Tartarus is _not _going anywhere."

She returned the nod. "Alright then. Wish me luck, my boy."

The short walk to the Index's resting place – the ground was decorated with bodies of Humans and Flood Combat Forms. One heck of a battle went on in here, leaving next to no survivors. This highly worried Katerina.

"Did _anyone _survive?" She questioned, unable to take her eyes of the carnage. "Only one way to find out."

* * *

**Soon…**

"McKenzie, Perez, how's our exit? You hear me, Marines?!"

"Humans! I come in peace!"

A sudden cry with no one in sight caused Commander Miranda Keyes and Sergeant Jonson to freeze and exchange a look of major confusion. They never took their fingers of the trigger as they waited for the mysterious person to reveal themselves.

They were greeted with an unusual sight – a being they had never seen before. However, if the Master Chief's encounter aboard the infested _Pillar of Autumn_ said anything, the two Humans were looking at a rare female Elite.

"Johnson, do _not _take your finger off that trigger!"

"I don't intend to!"

"Please, wait!" Katerina had her hands up in the air, trying her best to show that she was not a threat. "I do not mean any harm whatsoever! You _must _listen to me!" She took the smallest of steps towards them.

"Hold it _right there_," Miranda almost growled, to which Katerina obeyed, keeping her hands in the air. "Johnson? Isn't this what the Chief encountered back on the _Pillar of Autumn_?"

"Suuuure is," Johnson tightened his grip on his Battle Rifle. "Matches Cortana's rendering of her. This Elite did not take a swing at the Chief whatsoever. She _protected _him."

"If you are referring to the Spartan and his A.I. companion, then yes. I _have _met them aboard your ship!" Katerina said, then eyeing the Index hooked to Miranda's belt. "But you _must _hear me out! I request that you take the Index and leave this place with it!"

"Say what?" A mere whisper came from Johnson.

"The Covenant had arrived at the Library. You _must _leave with the Index _now_!" Her pleas were only drawing more confusion and she knew that. "I _know _of Halo's purpose! I _know _what it does upon firing it! Please, I do not wish for the destruction of all sentient life in this galaxy! I am _begging _you - please leave with the Index immediately!"

The two Humans were unsure and she could tell from their facial expressions. Just as she was about to say something else, they both began to tremor uncontrollably, like they were hit by a wave of electricity.

"No!" She hurried to them, but they both had already fallen to the ground. She was about to reach for Miranda to wake her when…

"Turn, Katerina."

_Oh no… It can't be… _Fear had a strong grip on her as she got to her feet and turned around in a slow manner.

Tartarus, his Fist of Rukt and two of his ugly Brutes.

As if she had no control, she began to gradually back away from them as they advanced towards her. Katerina needed to be careful – behind her, was a very large hole into some kind of abyss; in the center of it was the Index's resting place.

"Tartarus… it is not what it seems…" Her own voice was trembling with absolute terror.

She caught sight of a sick smile on his face. "Excellent work, Katerina. The Hierarches will be pleased."

Her forehead creased with mystification at that. She never stopped taking those small steps. "O-oh?"

It was then she saw how his two Brutes, armed with Brute Shots, were _aiming _those things at her. Her eyes darted to each Brutes repeatedly. "What is the meaning of this, Tartarus?"

Immediately, his smile turned into a grimace. "You never changed your views, did you now, little Kate? Still refusing to believe in the Covenant religion? Even after all these years? Well… your actions sent many from the State of Duran to their deaths… now _I _will send you to yours."

"Three against one? That _hardly _seems fair, you ugly bastard." She growled, realizing the current situation.

"No, it is not," Tartarus nodded. "We could have your son here to sort of even it out, but I am afraid he will _not _be joining us."

Panic. Again. "What have you done with my son?!" A sudden yell emerged from her throat.

"No matter, little Kate. You will join him soon,"

_No! Not- not Darius too! It cannot be! _A part of her suddenly died at that statement.

"And as will the rest of your incompetent race!"

"You BASTARD!"

Katerina attempted to reach for her Magnums attached to the side of her thighs when a jerk of his Fist of Rukt created a shockwave that struck her tremendously. All she could manage was a pained cry. She tumbled backward, missing that ledge and ultimately falling, her back against the void below her.


End file.
